by Julie McLean

2019 marks the centenary in the UK of the 1919 Sex Disqualification (Removal) Act, which allowed women to enter the legal profession. Julie McLean, a director and board member of Conyers Dill & Pearman, takes a timely look back at the story of women in Bermuda’s legal sector and the progress to equality in her own firm. 

The history of women lawyers in Bermuda begins with an exceptional pioneer – Lois Browne-Evans (later Dame Lois). In 1953, some 30 years after the first female lawyer in the UK, she was the first woman to be called to the Bermuda bar. As a young, black woman barrister in a profession dominated by white men, she was a trailblazer who in her long career went on to break down other professional barriers, including becoming the first female Attorney General in Bermuda in1998.

Following in Lois Browne-Evans footsteps, though over a decade later, were Ann Cartwright DeCouto and Shirley Simmons. As the only three women practising law in Bermuda in the 1960s, they were close friends and known as the “Three Musketeers”.

Other pioneers in the island’s legal profession include Dianna Kempe and Norma Wade-Miller. Dianna Kempe was admitted to the Bermuda Bar in 1973 and went on to become Senior Partner of Appleby, Spurling & Kempe (now Appleby). She was the first female lawyer to become Queen’s Council (QC) in Bermuda in 2000 as well as the first woman to be elected President of the International Bar Association. In 2006 she was the third recipient of the Outstanding World Woman Lawyers of the Year Award. Norma Wade-Miller was the first female magistrate in Bermuda, the first female Judge of the High Court, Justice of the Supreme Court of Bermuda and Acting Chief Justice in Bermuda. Her service to the island’s legal community and judiciary was honoured with an OBE in 2016.

While the percentage of women called to the bar in Bermuda averaged less than 10 per cent in the 1960s and 1970s, the feminist movement of those decades began to bear fruit, with that figure creeping up to roughly 20 per cent in the ‘80s and 40 per cent in the ‘90s. Since the turn of the millennium, on average more women than men have been called to Bar (around 55 per cent) reflecting the equality now present between men and women in terms of access to a legal education and entering the legal profession.

There still tends to be a gap between the numbers of men and women at the director/partnership level.

However, the picture is less rosy when it comes to equality between the sexes in the higher ranks of the profession. In common with firms in the UK, the US and Canada, there still tends to be a gap between the numbers of men and women at the director/partnership level. This can be partly explained by the time it takes to progress to partnership – if fewer women were entering the profession in the ‘80s and ‘90s, fewer would be in partnership positions today. Nonetheless, there are other factors at play too, resulting in higher attrition of women than men from the profession. Most notable is the greater challenge faced by women in balancing career and family, due to the continued expectation that mothers will play the primary role as care-giver. Millennials onwards tend to have a more open view of traditional roles, so as men take on more responsibility at home, balancing will become easier for women.

Recognising that there is still some way to go to ensure equal opportunity for progression to all levels, women in the profession have come together in Bermuda to assist each other. The Women’s Legal Network was founded in 2015 by Kimberley D. Caines-Best and Lovette Tannock. “We wanted to provide a space for women in law to support one another. Over the past few years we have organised a number of networking, educational and philanthropic events which have been very well attended and received,” said Kimberley Caines-Best.

Young women entering the legal profession today not only benefit from having had barriers broken by those who went before, but today often have the advantage of mentorship and support from female and male colleagues as they progress through their careers. This bodes well for a future where gender imbalance in the profession, at all levels, will eventually be a thing of the past.

Gender Diversity at Conyers

Bermuda’s largest law firm, Conyers Dill & Pearman, has come a very long way in terms of gender equality, particularly in recent years.

More than three-quarters of the firm’s Bermuda employees are women, and when it comes to global management roles and department heads, women are well represented – for example, the Chief Financial Officer, Global Head of Client Services, Head of Trust Services, Head of Corporate Services, Global Head of Human Resources and Chief Marketing Officer are all women.

Lisa Marshall, who joined in 1988, was the firm’s first female lawyer, soon followed by Robin Mayor. Lisa went on to become the firm’s first female partner in 1991; Robin was also promoted to partner the following year.

Conyers now has 22 female lawyers in Bermuda representing around 45 per cent of the total. At the director level, only 27 per cent are female, but this number is steadily rising and is higher than most onshore law firms. Lisa Spencer-Arscott, Global Head of Human Resources for Conyers, acknowledges the imbalance at the top, but points out that the numbers of men and women promoted to director in recent years have been equal. “When you look at the numbers of women associates in the firm (66 per cent), it is clear that in time we will see a much more equal representation of gender at the director level. It will just take a few more years,” she said.

The firm has worked hard to attract female lawyers and at least half of applicants to the summer law program – a primary vehicle for sourcing new associate hires – are now women. Equally important is retaining that talent, by fostering a culture in which women feel valued and get the experience they need to succeed. A women’s networking group has been set up by some of the firm’s female leaders to champion the professional developmentand career advancement of women through such means as sponsorship by senior leaders, mentoring and peer networking. “The group will also draw on expertise and insights from our peer groups of influential male leaders to help support our objectives, step up beside women and drive the adoption of actions across the firm,” said Lisa Spencer-Arscott.

Unconscious bias training was also delivered throughout the firm last year, with the aim of improving awareness of implicit biases – including gender and racial prejudices – that can hinder success and inclusion.

Julie McLean is a Director and local Head of Aviation Finance at Conyers Dill & Pearman.

This article was originally featured in the February 2019 edition of the RG Business Magazine.

The post International Women’s Day appeared first on RG Magazines.

Women’s Day is not only a day to celebrate brave women who have played a role in history, and the process we’ve made so far, it is also a time to reflect on the work we still have to do. These are some of the reasons why this day is so important, and why there is still a lot of progress to be made before we can all enjoy a more equal world.

 Women Make 79 Cents For Every Dollar A Man Makes

Despite what skeptics might argue, the gender pay gap is very real, and it’s even worse for women of color. On average, Black women earn 63 cents to every dollar a white man makes, and Latina women, earn only 54 cents. The gap might not seem very large, especially when talking about cents, but when multiplied by hours worked in a week, a month, or a year, it is overwhelming to see how much money we’re talking about. According to the U.S National Women’s Law Center, that is a loss of $10,470 in median earnings every year. Despite having the education, skills, and experience, women often get the shorter end of the stick and even end up making less than their less qualified male peers.

Violence Against Women

According to the United Nations, an average of 137 women worldwide are killed by a partner or family member every day, and out of the 87,000 women killed in 2017, more than half were killed by intimate partners or family members. As they’ve put it “the home is the most likely place for a woman to be killed”.

Lack of Access To Education

Though we are fortunate to live in a country where basic education is accessible to all, there are millions of children, primarily girls, who will never see the inside of a classroom. According to Unesco, there are 21 million primary school age girls out of school, and out of these, 17 million are expected to never enter school. Young girls are not only prohibited to go to school but also persecuted if they attempt to. Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani woman, and the youngest Nobel prize laureate was shot in the head by Taliban gunmen at age 15, simply for going to school.

Child Marriage

According to UNICEF, 12 million girls under 18 are married each year, and 650 million girls and women alive today, were married as children. Child marriage is a global problem and can be found in regions and cultures all around the world. In the United States, for example, there is no minimum age requirement for marriage in 25 states, and according to Forbes, more than 200,00 minors where married in the U.S between 2000 and 2015. Sadly, girls are being married off before they are allowed to consent or understand the commitment they are entering. These “marriages” often trap them in a cycle of poverty, abuse and make them more likely to drop out of school.

It is hard to eradicate sexism and inequality when they are so deeply rooted in our cultures and traditions, but it’s not impossible. This Women’s Day let’s celebrate womanhood, the women who have fought for the rights we have today, and the progress we’ve made. But let’s also advocate for those in vulnerable situations and those who don’t have a voice, there is still a long way to go.

The post Why It’s Important To Celebrate International Women’s Day appeared first on RG Magazines.